Samsung Hits Apple with New Patent Lawsuit in South Korea

Samsung is expanding its patent battle with Apple, this time filing a new lawsuit in South Korea alleging the iPhone and iPad maker is infringing on patents that cover user interfaces, displaying data, and short text messages, according to Reuters.

Apple and Samsung have been locked in a legal battle over patent infringement claims for several months. Both companies have alleged that the other’s mobile devices use patented technologies without proper licensing, and have filed some 30 lawsuits against each other in ten countries.

Samsung takes its patent fight with Apple back to South Korea

Despite the massive amount of effort Samsung is putting into its legal fight with Apple, the company so far has generally failed to gain any traction.

“So far, Samsung’s litigation track record against Apple has been abysmal as far as Samsung’s offensive claims against Apple are concerned,” said Florian Mueller of Foss Patents. “To the extent that any of those have been adjudicated so far in diferent jurisdictions, they’ve all been dismissed,though Samsung is appealing most or all of those decisions.”

He added that Samsung needs to start winning a few rounds in court or face the possibility that other companies will start doubting the strength of the company’s patent portfolio.

Most recently, a Samsung suit was thrown out in Germany, marking the third time that country’s courts tossed a 3G/UMTS-related case out. The same court also threw out a swipe-to-unlock patent case Apple filed against Samsung.

Moving back to South Korea is most likely a calculate move for Samsung since that’s the company’s home country and may be more sympathetic to its claims. Considering the company’s track record in other courts around the world, however, it’ll likely still have to work for a win in South Korea.